Monday of this week i went on a nav ex with Mike. This included flight planning, making notes on the map, tracking lines, radio com channela to use, fuel calculations and weight and balance. It was a surpise to me that with full tanks and only 2 people we were just within weight and balance limitations for this aeroplane. take off a gallon for taxi and take and we would be in limits…
You can just make out my track marks – with radio com, hdg, drift, TAS, i thought i put on the map my safety alt and my alt to fly but will be in my next map. I suppose i want to put as much useful and helpful information on the map so that i am only needing to look at that instead of lots of bits of paper.
This excercise would help me understand better everything that goes into flying and navigating. from start, you have to book out, check the aeroplane, flight plan, check weather, check notams, pre-engine start checks, radio call for taxi and vfr clearance, once airborn, get on right heading and right track, adjust for actual winds, time check, check compass and DI are aligned, get to cruise altitude, dead reckoning, ground to map read, FREDA checks, change radio com frequency, ask for flight information service, LOOK out for traffic ( we had a few gliders about and above and below us were lots of othe aircrafts on training flights and so on..) – suffice to say a lot going on. Mike was very good during the flight. helped me with the radio to talk to Brize Norton but apart from that i did the rest including flying…
here is my VFR flight plan – a bit messy..
